Tashi sits on the couch of a primary school library in Sydney with a seven-year-old student.<\/p>\n
For the next 20 minutes, Harlow \u2013 a Bondi public school student \u2013 will read to her, sounding out words slowly and giggling at the pictures of Pig the Pug looking very stinky.<\/p>\n
Once Harlow is finished, five more children \u2013 each with a dedicated 20-minute slot of one-on-one time to practise their reading skills with Tashi \u2013 follow.<\/p>\n
There is nothing unusual about this scenario \u2013 except for the fact that Tashi is a 10-year-old miniature poodle.<\/p>\n
The non-judgmental nature of dogs makes them perfect assistance animals for children who may be anxious about reading to a group, advocates say. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Tashi is one of 389 dogs across Australia that are part of a literacy program called Story Dogs<\/a>, which helps primary school students gain the confidence and ability to read aloud.<\/p>\n It\u2019s their \u201cnon-judgmental nature\u201d that makes canines the perfect companion for children who may feel anxious reading to a group, have additional learning needs, or don\u2019t have opportunities to read regularly at home, says Story Dogs\u2019 co-founder Janine Sigley.<\/p>\n The dogs are accompanied by their owners, who volunteer to help children sound out difficult words and build relationships with the students. Meanwhile, the dog will sit patiently, accept pats and act as a friendly, accepting face.<\/p>\n \u201cFor children who have ADHD or learning difficulties, they can take a breath, take their time, gently stroke the dog and go at their own pace,\u201d Sigley says.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEducation systems can put a lot of pressure on young children to be able to read and if they don\u2019t get it straight away [they] get extremely anxious.<\/p>\n \u201cThis way, they can make mistakes and it\u2019s OK. And the children then want to do the best they can for the dog, they form this really strong bond and they actually go home and practice.\u201d<\/p>\n The program was established by Sigley and Leah Sheldon in regional New South Wales in 2009, in response to concerns over wide disadvantage gaps<\/a> in literacy among young children who \u201cjust hadn\u2019t got that start in life\u201d.<\/p>\n It is modelled on a similar program that operates in the US using dogs as education assistance animals, and has grown to operate in every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s the association of pleasure with reading\u2019<\/p>\n The latest Naplan results<\/a> showed four in 10 students perform below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggle to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences. One in three students were still falling behind benchmarks<\/a> in reading and spelling.<\/p>\n Sue Bognar discovered the program after realising Tashi \u2013 a miniature poodle who was five years old when she adopted her \u2013 was \u201cvery special\u201d: a perfect combination of placid and loving.<\/p>\n She contacted Bondi public school three years ago, where her two grandchildren attend, and it is now the only primary school in Sydney which has Story Dogs.<\/p>\n At 9am every Friday, she arrives with Tashi in tow. They \u201cread\u201d for about two hours \u2013 before the dog gets \u201ca bit past it\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018They don\u2019t judge. They don\u2019t complain. And that\u2019s wonderful,\u2019 says Tashi\u2019s owner, Sue Bognar. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the association of pleasure with reading,\u201d she says. \u201cIf we can do that, then we\u2019ve achieved a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n With Tashi by her side, Harlow reads Pig the Grub, a tale about an extremely dirty dog. She sounds out the words slowly, receiving assistance with the tricky pronunciation of \u201chygiene\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know what hygiene is?\u201d Bognar asks. \u201cIt\u2019s how you keep clean.\u201d Conversation turns to Tashi\u2019s hygiene and the penchant of dogs for rolling around in poop.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dog only rolled in poop once,\u201d Harlow says, smiling cheekily. \u201cNow she never does.\u201d<\/p>\n Bognar, who worked in the education system and as a librarian for 50 years before retiring, says reading in front of a whole class can be \u201cpretty scary\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a special thing to help students become confident with their reading, because if they\u2019re not really confident by the end of year two, it just gets harder and harder for them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201c[Dogs] love everyone. They don\u2019t judge. They don\u2019t complain. And that\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the two hours are up, Tashi makes a move to leave before being swarmed by adoring children delighted to be able to pat the \u201cstory dog\u201d. Asked if Bognar thinks her pet is aware of her fame, she muses: \u201cNo, she doesn\u2019t need to be a star\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cShe doesn\u2019t become big-headed. She\u2019s just very caring and happy to do whatever. It\u2019s not often you get someone in your life like that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tashi sits on the couch of a primary school library in Sydney with a seven-year-old student. 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